PNP chief says bomb found near US embassy signature of Maute group

MANILA — The improvised explosive device (IED) defused this morning along Roxas Boulevard near the United States Embassy was similar to the explosive used in the Davao City blast last Sept. 2, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said on Monday.

At a press conference in the Manila Police District headquarters, Dela Rosa said initial examination conducted by the PNP Bomb Data Center showed that the IED was similar to the one used by the Maute group during the Davao blast that claimed the lives of 15 civilians and injured 70 others.

”Ibig sabihin ng same signature ay design, composition and the way it is connected,” Dela Rosa said.

He noted that initial examination conducted by the PNP Bomb Data Center showed that the bomb was similar to the one used by the Maute group, a local terror group.

”If you’re a determined terrorist, you can deliver the bomb to your intended target… IED could be a diversion from clash with Maute group,” he added.

He did not discount the possibility that planting of the IED could be a handiwork of the Maute group — the subject of the ongoing military offensive in Butig town, Lanao del Sur province.Perfecto Raymundo/PNA-northboundasia.com